Nickel Brook took some of the best Pinot Noir barrels from the Niagara wine region and tossed their Bolshevik Bastard Imperial Stout in it? I mean, what have they done to the soft oak and subtle, earthy fruit notes from the barrel? Their Imperial Stout has WAY too much chocolate, coffee and dark fruit flavours for the delicate notes imparted by the barrel-aging process. I don't know what they think they're doing. So what if it's delicious? Drink it today, or cellar it to enjoy later as it matures. A votre santé!

More User Reviews:

750ml, purple wax capped, sturdy-ass bottle, 2013 edition, @ 9.5% ABV. Wow, what a supreme pain in the ass to open - yeah, I tried using a knife to remove the stubborn as shit wax, and even considered bringing in fire. Fuck. Great name though, for, well, anything.

This beer (eventually) pours a solid black abyss, with the barest of dark cola basal edges, and three chubby fingers of puffy, densely foamy, and certainly rocky dark beige head, which leaves some incredible honeycombed lace around the glass as it slowly abates.

The bubbles are pretty sublime, or maybe just AWOL, the body an adequate medium weight, given what the barrel treatment often does to thin out the base style, and smooth, sure, with a heady tart fruit caveat. It finishes off-dry, but mostly just muddled in a pleasant enough way - chocolate, wan caramel, and coffee, all dosed with a big hit of woody red fruit.

Nice to see, really, a Pinot Noir barrel having such a noticeable effect on a big beer like this - not that I've ever had the opportunity to enjoy the particular Niagara escarpment wine responsible for the aging here - but it must be some good stuff to render such a secondary product. Overall, very red wine-forward, with the underlying stout present and accounted for, sure, but subservient all the same. Great to try, especially given the intra-provincial and inter-booze-production co-operation going on here. (1,955 characters)

On tap at Amsterdam charity event. Wine colour. Big pinot noir flavour that overwhelms with some Imperial Stout and chocolate in the finish, not astringent. Some cherry.Big mouthfeel. Flavourful, more of a wine, it can win a wine medal. Interesting and worth a try, bit not a great IS. (285 characters)

A- Opens well and pours a ton of head that lasts. Watch the bottle as it foams for a half hour LOL. Super dark and rich looking

S- Lots of Pinot here. Oodles of wine. You can't imagine the grape goodness on this one.

T- Fantastic! WOW this is fanominal. Never thought that a wine barrel aged beer was this good. This gives me ideas. So impressed. Will buy on sight every time I see it.

M- Dry and tart like a Pinot Noir. No booze at all.

O- WOW I like this one. So good. Looking forward to all wine BA beers I can find now just to see what they offer!

Food Pairing

This one I saved knowing it had to be good for...... Roasted lamb head with rosemary, garlic, hot pepper flakes, salt pepper, parm cheese, parsley and olive oil. WOW this was great. Rub these ingredients down on the head and throw in the oven at 400deg F for 1.5hrs then take some potatoes, slice them 1" thick from the center in wedges, toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning then pitch them in. Cook 30mins longer then here you go!

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a dark brown color head with OK retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of dry roasted malt is offset by some vinous notes with light oak flavours. Taste is also a great balance mix between some vinous notes offset by dry roasted malt notes with some black chocolates notes also noticeable. Body is full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I am not a big fan of aging imperial stout in wine barrel but I must admit I was quite impress by this mix. (500 characters)

S - Oak and red wine up front - stronger barrel aroma than expected. Some roast and char are present in the background.

T - Tart grapes dominate up front with a big oak presence. Mid-palate adds roast and hints of chocolate. The finish is bitter and tart with vinous fruit and oak. The base beer is definitely overshadowed by the barrel characteristics. This drinks almost more like a wine than a beer.

M - Medium body. Light to moderate carbonation.

O - A very interesting beer but for my tastes this was aged in the barrels for too long. The pinot noir and oak dominated the base beer, which is normally a robust and flavourful imperial stout. (802 characters)

On tap at C'est What, again into a full pint glass (side by side with the Old Kentucky).

Dark brown with a tan head. Nose is winey, tart dark fruits in the blackberry/currant vein. Some chocolate, oak and vanilla. Taste has more tart dark fruits, oak, vanilla and sweet malt. Chocolate again and a tannic finish, with some red wine balsamic. Medium body, sweet but tart fruit in the finish. Low carbonation. Admittedly, I've never been a fan of wine BA's imperial stouts and this didn't do much to sway me. Best sip of this pint was the last, oddly. (550 characters)

Taste is a real surprise. A serious red wine flavour throughout, along with loads of oak. Berries, tannins and vanilla. The stout flavours are actually hard to pick out- almost reminds me of a wild ale without any of the sourness or funk. There is a bit of chocolate and roast malt down there. Pretty unusual.

Full bodied, moderately carbonated. A bit sticky.

Overall, a very unusual beer. The most wine-like beer I have had, the barrel just dominates this thing. I expect that this would be a very divisive beer. Personally, I quite like it, but it would not be for everyone. (718 characters)

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. A foamy curtain of lace coats the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, spice, red wine, and wood aromas. Taste is much the same with cocoa, char, red wine, and wood flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of acidity and roast bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with a nice red wine barrel aging that works well with the base beer.